Simple cooler upgrades

[dtrkyman]

I was given a cheapo bag cooler, looks like reflectix type insulation on the inside, fits like a glove inside my 77qt lifetime(closeout cheap!) that I use for my food, keeps ice forever in there.

I try and cover it if it is warm and sunny too, like the idea of the reflectix cover on the outside.

Pre cooling the cooler goes a long way as well!

 

[old_coyote]

We order a lot of groceries from Whole Foods (via Amazon) and the cold stuff comes in bags made of reflectix. I saved a bunch and taped together into a big sheet. I put it over the outside of my cooler in my rig and after 5 days in Idaho September all my ice was still frozen. Was shocked at how well it worked.

 

[Tomcfitz]

Just put a YETI sticker on it.

Not to hijack the thread, but these guys have some funny cooler pics.

SHITI Coolers

SHITI Coolers: The Ultimate Party Cooler Company. Engineered to Party & Designed to Make Drinkin' Easy!

wildlyweakcoolers.com

Ozy, what he really needs is some of those "SHITI" stickers! I have a few on a keg cooler I put together.




Those amazon toggle latches work well, for sure.

Starting with a cold keg and 40 lbs of ice, this thing will drain only about a quart of water at the end of a weekend. The trick, admittedly coming from someone who got a c in thermodynamics (the second time), is to pre cool the cooler the day before with sacrificial ice, to only add in stuff that's already cold, and to open the thing as little as possible. And thermal mass is important. The more "cold" you have in the cooler, the better. But the phase change from solid to liquid uses a lot of heat too, so hard ice is much better than those soft ice packs.


Cool thread! I just picked up a 55 quart rotomolded cooler from Costco for only around $100. Seems good quality, branded "coho" or something.

 

[Cahunter805]

Question for anyone that has filled the lid with foam. I assume you are using a spray foam and just drilling a hole in the lid and start filling.
Do you fill from multiple spots in the lid? Non expanding foam? Any tips appreciated.

 

[hilts]

I love a thread like this. I have a 6-7 coolers I can mess with.

 

[riversidejeep]

My buddie uses a poly fill pillow inside his cooler to take up the dead air space / insulates the lid, works awesome. Added bonus is that it keeps everything upright when traveling.

 

[JeffP_Or]

Do you fill from multiple spots in the lid? Non expanding foam? Any tips appreciated.

The cooler lids I have filled had all sorts of moulds/crenulations and the like the required multiple holes; initially, I went in thinking two holes - one to fill and one as pressure release; figured once the foam made it across the lid and starting blowing about the pressure release hole - I would be good. Didn't work that way and that was a failure.
So, I just kept picking high spots and drilling and filling. Holes were just about the size of the foam filler tube - jam tube in hole as far as possible, trigger the canister and wriggle/rotate filler tube in hole as much as possible to disperse the foam.
I did use the less expansive 'small' crack foam which limited its filling capabilities - but also minimized warping the lid.

 

[WillyR089]

I like the PVC grate.

Just wrapping a cooler in a tarp to keep the sun off it makes a huge difference. I had lots of ice left at 8 days after my early september trip this year. Cooler was in truck bed under a Tonneau cover. Sunny with temps in the 70s almost every day. Had about 70lbs of ice and my food in it. Last year I struggled to keep ice more than 4 days in direct sunlight.

My other favorite is freezing 2L bottles of water (or even 1gal bottles) and using those instead of cubed ice. Much cleaner and also seems to stay cool a bit longer.

Also, if you can "pre-cool" the cooler by throwing 20-40 lbs of ice it overnight the day before you pack your cooler will make a huge difference.

I find that under bedcover in heat is no better than direct sunlight. But I also am in the deep south and am talking about summer days when temps are 95+.

 

[SMforester]

I find keeping mine under the bed cover seems to help with ice retention. (65 qt rotomolded). It definitely keeps the outer surfaces cooler to the touch.

 

[Tower Todd]

Seems like some very good ideas. I'm going to try some of them.

Thanks,
Todd

 

[Taray787]

Really good ideas here n

 

[rodray12]

Pre cool everything. block ice or frozen water bottles For longevity.

 

[Swagstaff]

I like this a lot. I wonder if you could combine some of the other suggestions on here and fill your PVC rack with water and then freeze it. You would need to have some drains to keep things sanitary after use, but I might give that a try myself.

 

[FlyGuy]

I’m building a pvc rack next weekend. Suped-Up coolers is a Cool thread


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[andesite]

I like the rack idea, and the suggestion to fill the top of the cooler with foam is a good idea. Is there a good way to tell if there is a need for foam before drilling into the lid? This might be a fall project.

I have been stocking up on the reflective foam pouches from food delivery companies that my friends use, having them inside to add insulation helps but I hadn't thought about making an outer shroud. That one is an easy addition.

 

[JeffP_Or]

......Is there a good way to tell if there is a need for foam before drilling into the lid?

Not sure if it is a good idea or even consistent across manufacturers, but the lids on mine had all begun to 'shrink' with more altitude/pressure changes - hard to describe, but the flat areas of lid became indented like a vacuum was being pulled on the lid. As soon as I drilled the first hole, the thing sucked back all the air and came back to shape.
I'd think the easiest way would be to just go ahead and drill a small hole in it in a non-de script location; or pull out a hinge screw if yours has them. Might be able to go the old 'knock on wood and listen for the hollow sound' route.
I'd think it is consistent to believe if the cooler is a 'cheap' cooler - it has an uninsulated lid.
If worried, pick a bit size that allows you to plug the hole(s) with a Plastic Hole Plug from a hardware store:

 

[Southforkguy]

We also get the Hello Fresh meals and I was thinking I should scab some of the insulation panels into my cooler. Thanks for the confirmation that this is a sweet idea

 

[andesite]

...
I'd think it is consistent to believe if the cooler is a 'cheap' cooler - it has an uninsulated lid.

I've been busy and haven't looked at mine yet but this is the conclusion I came to as this has been kicking around the back of my mind.

On the bubblewrap ideas, I've also been cutting mine down and retaping to make pouches for sandwiches or other food on day hikes.

 

[Darren D]

Until somebody buys me a nice roto molded cooler or I win won, I will be using the cheaper models. My complaint with them has always been that they never seem to hold ice as long as advertised. So, I decided to see what mods I could do to try and improve that.

View attachment 222677

I started with an igloo polar 120 quart. I then added some ¼ weather stripping and some latches to pull the lid down tight and form a seal.

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Next up was the hinges. Some pieces of fire hose precut was sourced from amazon and came with stainless steel screws.

View attachment 222679

View attachment 222680

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For the inside, I used reflectix. Think of this as a roll of bubble wrap with a reflective film on both sides. It insulates very well and it is what I use for my diy coozie for cooking my dehydrated meals. Foil tape was used to secure the reflectix to the lid as I originally had it just setting on top of the ice and it worked very well, but I prefer this method more. Duct tape can be used to join the pieces together, but I found it doesn't do so well after sittling in water for days at a time. The other pieces were made to pull out to keep cleaning easy. The bottom piece just lays flat on the bottom, unsecured. The insert is also tall enough that when the lid closes, it folds in and sits against the piece on the inside of the lid, helping to try and ensure as much of the inside is insulated as possible

The lid strap was also replaced with a piece of ⅛ inch stainless steel cable.

View attachment 222684

The latest piece i added was a pvc grate. I got tired of having meat and my meals ending up in a pool of water in the bottom. This was made with 1 inch pvc for a total of 2 inches of lift. It was cut to give a ½ inch clearance on all sides when installed. The grate keeps everything well above the drain plug and means there is no need to have the cooler tipped to one side to ensure it drains enough to keep things out of the water. Again, being removable makes cleaning easy.

Overall, I figure it keeps my ice another 2-3 days from what it originally did. I have since purchased another cooler and have done all of the same mods except for the reflectix, as my local Ace hardware was out.

I plan on doing a test on the ice longevity between the 2 to see just how much the reflectix actually does and if it is worth it, as its the most expensive piece of this project.

Here is a price breakdown:

Igloo polar 120 qt cooler $57
Latches $5 for 2
Weather stripping $1 (dollar store find)
Hinges $13
⅛ steel cable $1 for 2 feet
⅛ cable ferrule $3 pack of 4 (2 needed)
Reflectix $24 for 8 feet of 24" tall (cut from a bulk roll)
Foil tape $6
Total: $110

So for around a $100, I have a cooler that does pretty well for me.

Great post!
I’ve done the lid seal and latches in my Coleman extreme. I like the idea of reflectix, but I think I’ll try it on the outside as someone else suggested. Instead of the grate, might I suggest freezing smart water bottles. No loose water soaking your food or meat.

 

[MarlinMark]

One trick we use if it's hot like a river trip or Eastern Oregon summer scouting is to buy and freeze the single serve water bottles. They don't crack/break if you freeze them. Then you cool your cooler the day before with "sacrificial" ice and then before you load your cooler you line the bottom of your cooler with the individual frozen bottles.... they make a shelf in the bottom of your cooler that is frozen, and ready to be drank/used when they thaw. You can also move the water bottles to other smaller coolers for ice. We frequently use a smaller cooler for beverage coolers because folks are always getting in and out and there is always a water option to drink too.